Controlling mechanism for power-driven vehicles.



0.1W. WILLETTB. GONTBOLLINGMECHANISM EUR POWER DRIVEN VEHICLES.

APPLIOATIO FILED DEG. 27, 1907.

Patented oet. 2o, 1.908.

Witwen@ C. W. WILLETTE., GONTROLLING` MECHANISM FOR POWER DRIVBN'VEHIGLES.

APPLlOATION FILED DEO.27, 1907. I

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Patented '0013. 20, 1908.

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'UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFIOE. ,y

oIIAnLns w. WILLETTE, or TAOOMA,A WASHINGTON, Assienon or ONE-HALF To JULIAN cLoUcn, or TAGOMA; WASHINGTON.

CONTROLLING MECHANISM FORv 3:"OWIER-IJRIV'N` VEHICLES.

lSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

Application filed December27, 1907. Serial No.l 408,239.

To all whom it'mcy concern: y

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. WILLETTE, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Tacoma, inthe county of Pierce and State of lVashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Con- 'trolling `Mechanism for Power-Driven Ve#- hicles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to power driven vehicles and especially to the mechanism con necting the primel motor with the driven wheels of the vehicle and h as for its objects to simplify the parts so that the first cost will be materially reduced; to increase the ease of controlling the vehicle; to give the vehicle great range of speed and of tractive power; to eliminate the necessity for a differential gear; and to reduce the number of controlling levers to be manipulated by the' vehicle driver. I attain these objects by the devices, mechanisms and arrangements -illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

in which Figure 1 l1s a plan view of the chassis of an automobile equipped with my mechanism` showing the parts 'in position for going slowly forward; Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof with the parts in released or coasting position, the chassis being shown therein in broken lines; Fig. 3 is a vertical. cross-section of the right-hand half of the' mechanism, showing the friction transmission released and friction brake applied; Fig. 4i is a plan view (partly in section) Of tl1e`lefthand half of the mechanism, showing the brake released and the transmission applied; Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section of a part of the brake and transmission controlling mechanism; Fig. 6 is an elevation showing the connecting link between the hand-operated speed-changing lever and thel horizontal swinging lever, the sockets of the parts being shown in section; Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the device for guiding and holding .the pivoted steering post; and Fig. 8 is a plan thereof showing thepogfhin the middle or coasting position. Similar numerals of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

My invention consists of an engine-driven shaft arranged longitudinally of the car and v vhaving a friction wheel -slidably mounted thereonv but rotating therewith, of this friction wheel on the shaft being controlled by ahand-opera'ted spcedhanging lever; ,the friction wheel is mounted centrally between two friction disks which are secured to transverse shafts which operate, by any convenient mechanism. the driving `wheels of the car; the rear or outer sides of the friction disksare equipped with friction brake cones; surrounding the brake cones, but normally not 'touching them, are the fixed braking cups, or female members, secured to the frame oftheV car; longitudinally movable bearings for `the transverse shafts; with thrust bearings engaging the friction disks so'that they are moved towards each other to engage `the friction wheel, or away the braking cups;

and a pivoted lever (pref erably the steering post of the car) connected to and controlling the position of bothsaid movable `bearings sothat they move equally, Oppositely and simultaneously to control the friction disks. v

the positionl from each other to engage Referring now to the drawings, the frame lof the car is mounted on four wheels 2, the rear pair vbeing in this case the driving wheels. The engine is preferably mounted in front and has an engine shaft 3 mounted in suitable bearings 4 which are secured to the cross bars of the frame l. The shaft 3 extends longitudinally towards the rea-r of the car and the rear portion of it is provided with suitable feathers or keys 5 engaging the friction wheel 6 and allowing' it to slide longitudinally thereon but forcing it to turn therewith. A double collar 7 is secured to the friction wheel 6, and an annular body 8 is loosely mounted between the two parts of the double collar. The body 8 does not ro' tate with the Awheel G, and has two pins 9 which respectively fasten it to the upper and lower longitudinal` links 10, which pass for-v ward and are respectively pinned to the ends of the upper and lower arms 11 forming the horizontal swinging lever. These arms ll are pivotedat the other ends to the fulcrum casting 12 secured to the frame l. About midway between the ends of the4 arms 11 they are fastened together by the vertical pin 13. This pin is formed in two pieces, being fastened together at the middle byany 4suitable means, and having similar complementary hemispherical cavities atrl'he Junction of the two arts, and a hole leading thereinto. The all 14 of ,the link 15 fits in the socket formed by the two cayities and the link 15 passes through the hole. Thev other end of the link 15 is rovided with another b all 16 which fits in another socket formed snnilarly of two hemispherical cavities, one being on the end ofthe hand-operated speedchanging lever 17, and 'the other being se cured thereto by any suitable means'. The lever 17 is pivoted in any suitable position to the body of the car. Itis obvious that when the lever 17 is moved it moves the friction wheel 6 on the'shaft 3 through the action of the link 15, horizontal lever arms 11, links 10, annular body 8, and collars 7. It is also obvious that the friction'wheel 6 rotates just as fast in one position as in any other osition; in Figs. l, 2 and 4 the position ofp this wheel is such as to drive the car forwards at slow speed.

The driving wheels 2 of the car are driven by meansof s rocket gears and chains; on one side direct y from the transverse shaft 18, and'on the other side from an idle shaft 19 gearedto the other transverseshaft'20 by the two equal gear wheels 21, so as to reverse 4the direction of rotation without changing the speed thereof. The two transverse shafts 18 and 20 are in alinement-and can be moved transversely of the car in opposite directions by the hereinafter described mechanism. On the inner ends of these two shafts 18 and 2O are mounted-the two frictionl disks 22 each adapted to engage the friction wheel 6 at vopposite points thereon. It is obvious thatthe wheel 6 will rotate bothof the disks 22 at the same speed but in opposite directions; Athat the nearer the wheel 6 is to the center of the disks 22 the faster they will be turned; and that if the wheel is on one side of the center of the disksit will turn them in the opposite direction to'that which'it would if it were on the'other side thereof.

The braking of the car is accomplished by the friction between a pair of fixed female members or cups 23 secured to suitable bars 24 forming part of the frame 1, and correspondingly shaped friction cones 25 secured to the rear orl outer sides of the friction disks 22. The parts are so arranged that when the ldisks 22 are in frictional engagement with the wheel 6, the cones 25 are out of engagement with the cups 23; and when the cones 25 are engagin the cups 23, -the disks 22 are Withdrawn ifi-om contact with the wheel 6. Itis evident then that the control of the car (except as to its driven speed) lies in the shifting ofthe two disks 22 with their cones 25. The shifting-of these two disks is accomplished meaiis'o'f the bearings 26 of the shafts 18 and 20. These bearings 26 are cylindrical in form Q and are themselves mounted in, the fixed outer bearings 27 formed on, orseeured tr the fixed braking.

cups .23. The ltwo outer bearings 27 have.

the central axis of thcar. The pins 29 are engaged by the rods 3() through any convenient universall joint, the one illustrated consistingl of sleeves 31 on the `pins 29 and held in place by the heads of the pins and each having two ears 32 vbetween which the rod 30 `is pinned. The bearings 26 are held from lateral movement relatively to the shafts 18 and 20.by the thrust shoulders on each end thereof, consisting `of the collars 33V onthe outer ends and the' yanti-friction thrust bearings 34 between the inner end of the bearings and the hubs of the friction disks 22.

lt is evident then that any angular move ment given to the pins 29y results in angular and transverse movement of the bearings 26 land 34 and the collars 33, thus moving the -disks 22 and the `cones 25 transversely.

The rods 30' lead from the pins 29 to the levers 35 on the rocker shaft 36 and thisshaft 36 is turned by the crank lever 37- and link 38 joining it to the steering post 39 which is provided with a universal `joint 41) o1' pivot near its fixed lower end, so that by moving the post 39v down through a lsmall angleA the friction disks 22 are 'pressed' against the revolving friction wheel 6 simultaneously and equally, thus eliminating any tendency to bend the .driving'shaft 3; or by moving it upwards through a small angle the friction brake cones 25 are brought into contact with the cups 23; while' ifit occupies an intermediate position the brakes and the friction gears are entirely released. 4

The steering post '39v 's held between two plates 41 which are pressed together by the U-shapedsprings 42 by which the plates 41 are fastdned to the body of the car. These plates are shaped substantially as shown in Fig. 8 so that they will hold the post 39 in its central or coasting position or will, when it is vmoved therefrom, press it away from this central position, thus relieving the hands of the driver from the strainof holdg the post in either the driving or braking positions. l

It is evident that no diliierential gear be tween the two driving wheels 2 is neededl as there is always a certain amount of slip between the wheels 6 and 22 and this slip will position of the upper part controls the 0sitions of the rotatin 'friction brake W eels relatively to the fixe friction cups.l

.transversely movable thereon,` each of said disks having two friction surfaces on opposite sides thereof thereon; a rotated friction wheel mounted between said disks at right angles to the axis thereof and adj aent thereto; two friction cups ixedly mounted on said vehicle adjacent to the outer-surfaces of said somos rotating disks; and meansy whereby said ro? tating-disks may loel moyedtransversely,l

either to throw the'inner pair of friction srl faces thereon into'engagement with said rotated friction wheel, or to throw the"'outerpair of friction surfacesthereon into engagenent with said fixed` friction cups.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses. 

